Bread of Life

If you've ever been fortunate enough to have homemade bread or rolls, you know how absolutely wonderful they can be. They make the house smell wonderful, and they taste great. Like me, you may have even made homemade bread or rolls. Yes, they take time, but it's usually not that difficult, and well worth the effort. I have one friend, an artist, who frequently mentions on a certain social media site that she's got another loaf or two rising/baking/fresh from the oven. Yum! Enjoy!

BEST HOT CROSS BUNS

Kathy Kingsley, About.com's American Food blog's guide, writes, "When these decorated rolls begin to appear in bakery windows and grocery store shelves, you know that Easter is approaching. But they are never better as the ones you can make at home, and this recipe will produce such great results, you'll want to make them every year — and maybe not just for Easter."

You can view this recipe on her blog here.

Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Yield: Makes 24

Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water (105° to 155°F)

2 packages active dry yeast

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup warm milk (105° to 115°F)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

6 to 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup dried currants

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

Egg wash: 1 large egg white mixed with 1 teaspoon water

Lemon Icing

1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 1/2 tablespoons milk

Preparation:

Pour the warm water into the large bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle the yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar over it. Stir to dissolve and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Add the remaining sugar, warm milk, salt, nutmeg, and butter.

Add 3 cups of the flour, and using the paddle attachment of the mixer, beat at medium speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.

Beat in the vanilla, currants and apricots and 1 cup more of the flour. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft dough that just clears the sides of bowl is formed.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.

Place the dough in a large greased bowl. Turn once to coat the top and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down the dough. Cover with an inverted bowl and let stand for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into 24 equal portions. Roll each portion into a smooth ball. Place the balls about 1 1/2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet or pan.

Let the rolls rise until doubled in volume, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the rolls lightly with the egg wash. With a sharp knife, cut a cross no more than 1/2 inch deep in the top of each roll. Bake the rolls until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack and let cool.

Make the icing: In a small bowl, mix together all of ingredients until well blended. Spoon the icing int a party bag fitted with small plain tip, and pipe a cross over the top of each roll. Let the buns stand at least 20 minutes for the icing to set before serving.

CRANBERRY BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Not really sure where this recipe came from. Probably from some emailing list that I was on years ago...

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup milk

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup Dried Cranberries

1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

2 teaspoons sugar

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin, or line cups with paper muffin cups.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt in medium mixing bowl. Combine egg, milk and oil in small bowl. Add liquid to dry ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently stir in blueberries and cranberries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Sprinkle muffins with remaining 2 teaspoons sugar.

Bake in 400°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove muffins from pan; cool on wire rack. Serve warm.

Makes 12 muffins.

OATS AND DARK MOLASSES BREAD

Elizabeth Yetter, About.com's Bread Baking's guide, writes, “The touch of Pennsylvania Dutch in me forces me to buy a few jars of blackstrap molasses at the start of ever winter. I use it to make my soft, molasses and ginger cookies and to add to my winter hearty breads. This recipe for oats and molasses bread is very easy to make, very basic, and yet oh so delicious. It is a winter time favorite bread and a good seller during the winter months. The bread can be eaten, buttered, fresh out of the oven. It also makes great toast, peanut butter sandwiches, and you can make it into french bread.”

Yield: 2 loaves; Prep Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes; Cook Time: 35 minutes; Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups boiling water

1 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup water, room temperature

1 Tbsp or 2 packets (1/2 oz) active dry yeast

2 Tbsp butter or margarine

1/2 cup blackstrap molasses

2 tsp salt

5 cups bread flour, about

2 Tbsp cornmeal for preparing bread pans

Preparation:

In a large bowl, mix boiling water and oats. Let sit for 30 minutes. Do not add the yeast until water and oats are lukewarm. The heat of boiling water will kill the yeast and prevent the bread from rising. Add room temperature water and yeast. Stir. Add butter, molasses, and salt. Stir. Add 3 cups of flour and mix well. Slowly add in remaining flour, enough flour to make a dough that follows the spoon around the bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead for 4 minutes, adding more flour as needed until the dough is soft and smooth to the touch. Place dough in large greased bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so that the top is also lightly greased. Cover with clean cloth and let rise in warm, draft-free place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.


Punch down dough. Turn dough out onto lightly floured board and knead for 4 minutes or until the bubbles are out of the bread. Divide dough into two equal halves. Shape each half into a loaf. Place each loaf into a greased and cornmealed 9 x 5-inch bread pan. Cover and let rise in warm, draft-free place for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Bake loaves at 375 degrees F for 35 minutes or until the bread is golden brown. Remove each loaf from pan and let cool on rack.

Baking Tips:

To keep bread soft, store in a plastic bag.


To prevent the molasses from sticking to your measuring spoon, coat the spoon in a tiny amount of cooking oil.

ORANGE CRANBERRY BREAD

Yield: 1 loaf (18 slices)

Source: The New Family Cookbook for People with Diabetes

Book Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/26.shtml

Print Version: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/412.shtml

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 medium orange

2 teaspoons margarine, melted

1 large egg, beaten, or 1/4 cup egg substitute

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut aluminum foil to fit the bottom of a 9x5-inch loaf pan and spray the sides of the pan with nonstick pan spray.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.

Grate the zest from the orange and set aside. Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice into a measuring cup. Add the grated zest and melted margarine to the juice and add enough hot water to make 1 cup.

Stir the liquids into the dry ingredients. Add the egg, vanilla, cranberries, and walnuts; stir to mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the top of the loaf comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

If time permits, let stand overnight for easy slicing. Cut the loaf into 18 slices.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 108; Protein: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 19 g; Cholesterol: 12 g; Sodium: 109 mg; Fat: 3 g; Exchanges: 1 Starch, 1/2 Fat

CINNAMON APPLE FLAT BREAD

Yield: 12 servings

Source: "Mr. Food's Every Day's a Holiday Diabetic Cookbook"

Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/89.shtml

Ingredients

1 pound frozen bread dough, thawed

1/4 cup peach all-fruit spread

4 medium apples, cored, peeled, and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 10" x 15" rectangle. With your fingertips, gently spread the dough to cover the pan, and push it up to the edges of the pan, forming a rim. If the dough is too sticky, dust it with your hands lightly with flour.

Spread the fruit spread over the dough, then top with the sliced apples, arranged in a single layer.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the apples. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the edges are golden.

Remove from the oven and cool slightly in the pan on a wire rack. Slice, and serve warm.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (2 squares): Calories: 143, Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 221 mg, Carbohydrate: 29 g, Dietary Fiber: 2 g, Sugars: 11 g, Protein: 3 g; Diabetic Exchanges: 2 Carbohydrate

OATMEAL BREAD

Years ago, I got hooked on Breaking Bread with Father Dominic on (if I remember correctly) the Food Network. Unfortunately, the show has since left the air, at least where I live, although the episodes can still be found here. Check out his website, The Bread Monk, at http://www.breadmonk.com/.

Yields 2 loaves.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 to 3 cups bread flour

1/2 cup oats (old fashioned or quick-cooking)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 envelope FLEISCHMANN'S RapidRise Yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/4 cups water

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Directions:

In large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, oats, brown sugar, undissolved yeast, salt, and cinnamon. Heat water and butter until very warm (120 to 130 degrees). Gradually add to dry ingredients. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed with electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

Roll dough to 12 x 7-inch rectangle. Beginning at short end of each rectangle, roll up tightly as for jelly roll. Pinch seam and ends to seal. Place seam side down in greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 50 to 60 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; cool on wire rack.